5 Crazy Benefits Of Hibiscus Everyone Needs To Know!!!

There are a few edible flowers that apart from looking beautiful can also be healthful. Rose, jasmine, rhododendron, lotus and hibiscus are some edible flowers that can be easily found in India. Today, we will talk in detail about various health benefits that you can receive upon consuming hibiscus. While you must be knowing about infused or herbal tea made with hibiscus, do you know about its health benefits? Swati Bathwal, Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist is all praises for hibiscus as a food ingredient. Upon asking why hibiscus is good for health, she explained some surprising hibiscus facts and health advantages.

1 Reduces blood pressure

Consuming hibiscus tea daily can be of great aid to people with high BP or hypertension problem. According to a study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, hibiscus consumption can reduce systolic blood pressure by 11% and diastolic pressure by 7%. Find below Swati’s Hibiscus Tea recipe and some other tips:

• Boil 2 cups water and add 1 hibiscus flower to it.
• Let it steep for 5 minutes.
• Strain and add 1 teaspoon honey or 1/2 teaspoon stevia.
• Your hibiscus tea is ready.
• Drink it warm, 2 times a day.

Alternatively, you can also make a punch by soaking 2 hibiscus flowers in 1 jug and adding 1/2 cup chopped mint leaves and 1 teaspoon Stevia to it. But you must consume only 1/2 a jug a day only.

2 Hibiscus Boost Immunity

We are looking for different immunity-boosting foods lately. Hibiscus along with lowering BP can also be great for boosting immunity. It is found to stimulate B and T cells that have infection-fighting properties. Thus, when you consume hibiscus, it activates these cells and strengthens the immune system.

3 Blood Sugar Control

High blood sugar or hyperglycemia is a dangerous situation that has life-threatening effects. It can not only increase the risk of heart diseases but also kidney problems. Consuming hibiscus regularly is found to control blood glucose levels. But this alone won’t help unless you get physically active and have a proper diet.

4 Improves hair growth

Do you know that Hibiscus is one of the main ingredients in exotic hair care products? Well, hibiscus can be used differently for different hair issues including dandruff, hair falls, etc. Just make a paste of fresh hibiscus petals and leaves and apply it on your hair and scalp like a hair mask. It would promote hair growth and makes your tresses long & shiny.

5 Hibiscus keeps Cholesterol in control

Not only blood sugar and blood pressure but hibiscus also helps in controlling cholesterol. All these three health conditions can be fatal for you. Let hibiscus tackle it as you consume it daily. Consuming hibiscus can lower LDL cholesterol by 22%.

There are so many benefits of having hibiscus that you would experience as you start taking this fruit in your diet. Prepare fresh hibiscus tea or add its extract to your infused teas to get a soothing and refreshing taste.

How Olive Oil Is Good For Your Skin!!!

Do you have an uneven skin tone? Has your skin darkened either due to sun damage or excessive use of chemical beauty products? Many people think that it is nearly impossible to change the skin tone which is both true and false. While our natural skin tone is difficult to be changed, you can alter the changes that occurred due to other factors such as UV rays damage, overuse of chemical-based skin care products, poor dietary and lifestyle habits, oxidative stress, etc. Natural remedies are meant to aid the problem leaving any side-effects behind. Olive oil is one such natural ingredient that can help you in lightening your dark skin.

How Do Skin-Lightening Products Work?

Skin-lightening formulas work by:

• Reducing pigmentation: There is a pigment named ‘Melanin’ in the skin which is responsible for skin tone. Increases production of melanin increases darkness in the tone. The skin-lightening or skin-brightening products work to reduce the production of melanin. 
  
  
• Exfoliating the skin: Sometimes, darkening is due to the layer of dead cells on the skin. These either occur due to tanning or just skin damaged by aging. The skin-lightening agents help in exfoliating the dermal layer.
  
  
• Sunblock: These products contain titanium oxide and zinc oxide which are great agents to prevent tanning and reducing the exposure to UV radiation.

Olive Oil for Skin Care

Just as good it to add olive oil to your diet, its direct application on the skin has some amazing benefits too. These pointers show how olive oil helps in skin-lightening:

• Research says that olive oil application can block almost 20 percent UV rays from damaging the skin.
• Olive oil increases the concentration of sun-blocking protein in the skin.
• Olive oil has Squalene which is a natural fat that protects against the skin-damaging factors.
• Olive oil has a high percentage of antioxidants which reduces oxidative stress.